Here Comes The Bride
by astonishes
Summary: Blair reflects on her past and where it's brought her. DB, future fic, AU


"_I know I'm not the most romantic person alive or the wealthiest, Blair, but I love you. I can't promise you the fabulous fifth avenue apartment you live in or fancy nights out in a fifty foot long limo, but I can promise you that I'll love you and only you. You make my palms sweat, my heart race, my stomach fill with butterflies. Even after five years, I still love you like I used to. What I'm trying to ask is, will you marry me?" he asked her, down on one knee. He had a hopeful look on his face, trying to determine her answer._

_Blair smiled and barely took two seconds to get the word out of her mouth. "Yes!" she exclaimed, jumping into his extended arms and kissing him._

---

_Blair walked around Central Park, her now long hair spilling across her shoulders in a curly mess. The fresh auburn color was shining in the sun, her face hidden by the oversized aviators she wore._

"_Blair? Blair Waldorf?" a voice called from behind._

_Blair turned around and was surprised to see him. His hair had grown out a bit in the last year she had seen him. It was messy, but still neat._

"_Dan?" She asked, looking for the shorter carbon copy of Serena she expected to be following him._

"_Yeah," he said awkwardly, shuffling. "Long time no see, huh?"_

_Blair shrugged and looked at him. He was different. He was no longer the geeky, awkward teen he used to be. "You grew up," she remarked._

"_So did you; I could barely recognize you. How've you been?"_

"_I've been good. Roaming around the city, doing nothing. I seem to be doing that a lot lately," she said nonchalantly. "How's Serena? You guys have any kids?"_

"_No, we lost touch after senior year," he told her, indifferent._

"_Oh, that's odd. You seemed like the picture perfect couple," Blair told him sarcastically. She began walking, half expecting him to follow her._

"_Yeah, well, when I found her making out with Chuck in the hall closet, we just didn't seem so perfect anymore."_

_---_

"_No way! The _Phantom of the Opera_ is classic," Blair argued._

"_Yes, but _Into the Woods _is just proof of Sondheim's genius," Dan fired back._

_Blair and Dan were currently sitting in a pizzeria on one of their numerous double dates. Nate and Serena shared a look of amusement as their dates argued with each other about the best Broadway show out there._

"_Guys, chill! Dan, we are going to see _Phantom_ tonight with Blair and Nate and tomorrow, you and I can sit through _Into the Woods_ on our own. Yes?" Serena asked, giving him a quick kiss._

"_You guys are so sickeningly romantic," Blair remarked, rolling her eyes. Dan just shot her a look of amusement._

"_Don't be jealous, Blair," he smirked and reached over, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him and patting her on the head._

_Blair tried not to laugh but she failed and ended up giggling happily, poking him in the side until he let her go._

_Serena just watched, confused as to when they got so close._

_---_

_Blair could barely hold back her laughter, squirming beneath Dan as he continued tickling her. "Dan!" she giggled._

"_Blair!" he mocked, tickling her still._

"_Say it!" he teased, letting go of her for one second. Blair took this moment to distract him so that she flipped him over and was on top of him instead._

"_Not fair," he mock-whined. "Why do you always get to be on top?"_

"_I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Rufus' voice came from the doorway. Blair looked up and tried jumping off Dan, falling of the couch in the process. Rufus chuckled softly to himself before walking to his room. When the door closed, Dan and Blair just looked at each other, both completely red._

_---_

"_What do you mean he dumped you?" Blair questioned Serena._

"_He just told me he didn't think I was 'the one,'" Serena told her between sobs. "I don't get it. Things were going to great between us and all of a sudden, this happens. What did I do?"_

"_I'm sorry, S," Blair told her friend. "Do you want me to come over?"_

"_No, don't worry about it. I'll, um…I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" Serena told her friend._

"_Of course, okay. Call me if you need me?" Blair consoled before hanging up. She scrolled down her contacts, stopping when she reached his number. She stared at it. Should she call him? Before she lost her nerve, she hit the call button._

"_Hello?" he answered._

"_What were you thinking?!" Blair blew up at him. "How could you dump her?!"_

"_I take it you're talking about Serena," he told her calmly. "It just…it wasn't working, B."_

"_Dan, she _loved_ you and you just…threw it away?" She sighed, leaning back on her bed._

"_I don't know, B. I just…I didn't feel like I used to."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well, you love Nate, right?"_

"_Yes, of course," she told him, rolling her eyes._

"_Don't roll your eyes at me, it was just a question."_

"_How'd you know I was doing that?" she asked, surprised. She sat up and looked around her room._

"_Well, you always roll your eyes when talking to me. Anyway, does he light up the room when he walks in? Does he make your palms sweat? Your heart race? Your knees tremble?"_

_Blair picked at the thread of her comforter. "Sometimes," she admitted._

"_Well, that's how I used to be with Serena. She was my everything. But now, it's not her who does that. But it doesn't matter: this girl will never notice me."_

"_Why do you say that?"_

"_Well, I've known her for a while and I've gained all this knowledge from experience. Anyway, I've gotta go. Vanessa's here and we have to go take Jenny out: it's not everyday she turns sixteen! I'll…I'll talk to you later, okay, Blair?"_

"_Yeah, definitely. And…good luck with your mystery girl. You deserve to be happy, Dan," Blair whispered, hanging up the phone afterwards._

_---_

_The dimly lit bar reeked of sweat and alcohol, a stench that was getting to Blair. She groggily pulled on Dan's sleeve. "Let's go," she told him, standing up as best as she could._

"_Whoa, watch out there," he told her, wrapping his arm around her waist to support her._

_She drunkenly thanked him, walking out with him._

_An hour later, Blair had finally sobered up a bit, able to walk on her own._

"_How's Yale treating you?" Dan finally asked._

"_Like crap," Blair sighed. "It was my dream to go there. To follow in my daddy's footsteps. But…it wasn't. I just went because he did. Now I'm stuck at a school I don't really like and studying a stupid major."_

"_Why? Did he want you to?"_

"_No, but-"_

"_Forget about pleasing him then! I'm positive he wants you to be happy and do what you want to. If not, who cares?!"_

"_I can't just tell him no, Dan," she retorted._

"_It's your life, Blair!" he told her, pointing at her. "There are so many possibilities out there for you to choose from! You can go and be what _you_ want to be. Be _you_! You're not your father, don't pretend to be!"_

_Blair looked at him, thinking about his words. He was right, in a way. Her father never told her she had to be a lawyer. "You're right," she thought out loud. "You're right!"_

_She smiled and ran up to him, hugging him. "Thank you, Dan," she told him. She moved to kiss his cheek but he moved his head oh-so-slightly and she ended up kissing him on the lips instead. But, she didn't pull away. Instead, she stood there, in the middle of Central Park, deepening the kiss with the not-so-lonely boy._

_---_

All of these memories were running through Blair's head, each one holding something special to her. The year she lost contact with all of her high school friends, she found herself thinking more than she should about Dan. An occasional text accompanied with a call every holiday allowed them to keep a semi-acquaintance.

Of course, she had no idea he was even back in the city, much less living here once again. She was surprised when they met again in the park but she couldn't understand why his request to get coffee with her made her stomach fill with butterflies.

The fluttering creatures reminded her of the fling she shared with Chuck, her closest friend aside from Dan.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a soft knock came from the large white door.

"Come in," she called, glancing in the mirror once more.

"Blair, you look…amazing," a voice flattered from behind her.

"You really think so?" she asked, turning around to face Chuck.

"Would I lie to you?" he told her, walking towards her. "I'm so happy for you, babe."

"Thanks, Chuck," Blair said, trying not to cry. "I can't believe I'm getting married!"

Chuck smiled at her. "It's not as bad as it sounds."

As soon as he said it, Jenny walked in. "Of course it's not. But, Blair is going to figure that out soon enough. If she ever gets down the aisle of course!"

Blair laughed, and stepped down from the stool she was using to help keep her elevated. "Is my daddy there yet?"

"Of course," Jenny reassured her. "Come on, C," Jenny told her husband, linking arms and walking out into the lobby and into the church.

"Goodbye, Blair Waldorf," Blair whispered to herself before walking up the aisle to the beat of the wedding march.

* * *

Okay, there were no Dan/Blair fics anymore and even though I'm a sucker for Chuck/Blair, I still love this pairng. I hope you enjoy it and have a Merry little Christmas. :) 


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